What is the situation for Ph.D. level faculty positions in the M.E. in the fields of TESOL/Applied Linguistics? I rarely see announcements for these postions on either the AAAL or Higher Ed sites -- one recent exception being the AUC position. I know these jobs tend to be few and far between.

I did my 12 years in the Gulf as a language instructor (Saudi Arabia - 1, KU - 4, SQU - 7) and enjoyed it enormously . Then I moved on to a job teaching linguistics and TELF prep in Mexico (Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara) before taking one of those "brass ring" jobs at a Japanese university.

I've been looking into tenure-track positions back in the US but I have to say I'm much more tempted by the idea of returning to the Arab world.

For that matter I've even contemplated returning to ME as a language instructor, for example, at ZU or UGRU. Maybe there's something to be said for being on the front line vs. being a flight instructor back in the US. Still, my preference would be for teaching in an MATESOL program in the ME.

VS, thanks. Actually I have already put in a preliminary application for the position at AUC. And I have cruised through the web sites for KU, AUS, ZU, and UAEU. Sometimes they have information about their faculty but as often as not not. But I'll have another look.

Again, I don't seem to ever see these types of positions announced. Am I missing something or do people just send in "cold call" application packages (e.g. CV, sample publications, teaching portfolio, etc.) and hope to be contacted? Or are applicants for these sorts of job primarily solicited privately or at major conferences.

I have thought about a return to SQU's English Department and in fact looked into that possibility during my 2003-2004 sabbatical leave from SGU (Shikoku Gakuin University). For a number of practical reasons I ended up spending that year as a visiting scholar in UCLA's Dept. of Applied Linguistics. Anyway, from what I remember it was a very closed environment and people tended never to resign. (Is Sandy still there?) Also they seem to be more liturature focused. But if they were looking for someone doing applied ling that would be just about perfect.

BTW, based on some of your other posts, I get the feeling that we may have been at SQU at the same time (1988-1994).

Take a look at American University in Cairo. Recent post September. 5 2005.

THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

The English Language Institute anticipates one opening in TEFL/Applied Linguistics to teach and do research in the MA in TEFL Program. Specialization and experience in some combination of the following areas: pedagogical grammar: the teaching of writing, reading, speaking, or listening in the EFL/ESL context; CALL; language transfer; corpus linguistics, with focus on classroom applications. Experience or interest in teaching online would be an asset. The position primarily involves teaching in the M.A. in TEFL Program and supervising theses. Ph.D. required. Position # TEFL-1.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL POSITIONS: E-mail a letter of intent specifying Position # with a current C.V. to facultyaffairs@aucnyo.edu and arrange to have three letters of recommendation and transcripts mailed to:
Dr. Earl (Tim) Sullivan, Provost
The American University in Cairo
420 Fifth Avenue Floor 3-CH
New York, NY 10018-2729

Also, I know for Ph.d holders universities in Hong Kong are always hiring, and the pay (up to $100,000 US)and benefits are very good. Actually, the City University in HK is advertising right now: Instructor I/II in the English Language Centre [Ref. A/438/30], and this position does not require a Ph.d (so the pay is less, but still good).
I just mentioned HK since you said you were in Asia before.

I look on various sites for my jobs, as well as schools/companies websites; and through a friend I get job lists emailed to me from her university's TESOL dept. (most of the jobs are at US colleges/unis). I am more interested in abroard so it doesn't help me right now. I plan to apply to UGRU, Zayed, and SQU for next year, and from what I am told they begin hiring process from December to March and make decisions in April.

Thanks. As I mentioned I have already applied for the AUC position. As for HK, well, I already have a tenured university position in Japan so I don't see the point in moving to another asian university -- other than just the novelty of being in another new place.

Yes AbuFletcher... It was rather late last night when I answered your post. As soon as I re-read it this morning, I figured out who you were - my old neighbor. Are you still in contact with anyone who is still there? ...to fill you in on the SQU English Department. The pleasant long time Dean, Paul S, retired (again) this year and I don't know who is left, but certainly a familiar face or two. I suspect that they are still literature oriented.

Probably your best bet would be AUC. It is a small program with just a handful of professors. Oman is probably a better place to live, but AUC would be a better job professionally speaking. (and likely better paid...)

Oh yes THE cartoon! I still have a copy of that around somewhere. I was the guy who was too busy to teach because I had to get out story proposals. BTW, I gave up my aspirations as a buddying photojournalist shortly after leaving Oman and settled into a Ph.D program. I still do photography as a hobby but that's about it.

I really do have one of those "dream jobs" in Japan, but I find myself getting restless. I've also applied for several tenure-track positions in the US but I'm unconvinced about the pleasures of living in Michigan or Indiana though Colorado might be OK.

Just starting. The pragmatist in me says "just hold on to what you've got" while the mover and shaker says "you can't get anywhere standing still."

I remember an old Disney cartoon with Goofy sleepwalking through a construction site. Just when disaster seemed certain, e.g. he was about to walk off the end of a beam in mid-air, something else came along to save the day. This is as good an analogy of my life as an overseas EFL teacher as any other. But I sometimes wonder if I'm tempting fate by making too many conscious choices.

Getting back on topic, the REAL problem is that there are few homegrown EFL instructors in the Gulf and therefore little need for professors in homegrown MATESOL programs. The only two specific MATESOL programs I'm aware of (in that part of the world) are AUC and Bilkent Univ. in Turkey.

Last edited by abufletcher on Sun Sep 18, 2005 7:20 pm; edited 1 time in total

VS, just what I was thinking! But Alia would be a third year student next fall and Ryan has his heart set on an International Business degree with a specialization in Japan (and an internship in Japan). BTW, his nickname at school is Japan. The boys don't remember much from Oman beyond the staff swimming pool, the falafal sandwiches at the university store, and lots and lots of sand and rocks. Fletcher, who's now a HS sophmore, is very attached to his cross-country team and not keen to give that up. On the plus side everyone agrees that it would be a cool place to "visit dad."

I have heard that is is VERY hard to get tenure at AUC. They'd probably rather have a string of distinguished US faculty coming through for "the Egypt experience" on their sabbaticals. Sadly it will be more than 8 more years before I'm eligible for another sabbatical.

ZU could well make use of someone with a PhD and a background in English language teaching in its Colloquy programme. If you check out the university website, http://www.zu.ac.ae, under the "Employment" heading, you'll see this ad: